Invalid bed



Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PTET'OFFICE INVALID BED Rudolph C. Miller, Beaumont, Tex. A Application December 12, 1940, Serial No. 369,887

3 Claims.

This invention relates to invalid or 'hospital beds and more particularly to beds in this character adapted to be adjusted to various positions.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplied structure by means of which the head and foot portions of an adjustable bed can be angularly varied with respect to the central portion and automatically held in adjusted position.

Other objects will more fully appear in the course of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement yand combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specication as part thereof in which like reference characters represent like parts throughout;

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section taken through a bed embodying the present invention substantially on line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a view looking up and partly broken away on plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross section of part of the improved device.

1n the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, I represents the central stationary portion of a bed frame supported by suitable legs. A head part 2 and foot part 3 are respectively hinged to the opposite ends of the central section I in any approved manner so that the sections 2 and 3 can be raised or lowered with respect to the central portion.

The pivot rail 4 of the head portion 2 has secured thereto centrally a downwardly directed lever 6 while the pivot rail 5 of the foot portion 3 has a similarly positioned lever 1. Secured to the underside of the central portion I substantially mid-length of the bed and extending from side to side thereof is a plate 2I having centrally thereof a downwardly directed stub shaft I9 upon which are rotatably mounted two worm gears 8 and 9. The upper worm gear 8 is provided with a downwardly directed hub I I and the lower gear 9 is provided with a similarly downwardly projecting hub I2, the latter gear and hub being rotatable upon the hub I I. A collar I3 is mounted upon hub I2 and secured thereto as by bolt I4 and this collar has formed therewith a lever I5. A collar I6 is mounted upon hub II below collar I3 and secured thereto as by bolt I'I and collar I3 is formed with a lever I8. A collar I9 is secured as by bolt 20 to the lower end of stub shaft I0, thus locking the assembled gears thereon.

10 operating crank as at 25.

Links 26 connect the respective levers 6 and I3 controlling the head portion of the bed and similarly connect the levers I5 and 1 controlling the foot portion of the bed.

It will be aparent that a hand crank 21 can be selectively positioned on either end of either of the shafts 23 and by rotating these shafts, the head and foot portions of the bed can be angularly adjusted up and down and by reason of the worm gear connection, these portions will be at all times locked in such adjusted positions. It will further be noted that this operating structure is extremely simple and compact and adapted to be applied with no structural alterations to any type 25 of bed having the three hinged sections such as are in common use.

Various modifications of the exact construction of the parts will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, but all within the scope L; of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Operating means for an adjustable bed having a central xed section and hinged head and foot sections comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to the under face of the iixed section and to extend from side to side thereof, a downwardly directed stub shaft positioned centrally of said plate, worm gears independently and rotatably mounted on said shaft, each gear having :fixed thereto a laterally directed lever, spaced shafts extending from side to side of the bed supported from said plate with worms on said shafts for engaging said gears respectively, means for rotating said shafts, levers carried by the hinged head and foot sections and links connecting the gear levers to said section levers.

2. Operating means for an adjustable bedI having a central fixed section and hinged head and foot sections comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to the under face of the fixed section and to extend from side to side thereof, a downwardly directed stub shaft positioned centrally of said plate, Worm gears independently and rotatably mounted on said shaft each gear having fixed thereto a laterally directed lever,

spaced shafts extending from side to side of the Eloed supported from said plate With a Worm on each shaft for engaging opposite sides of said gears respectively, means for rotating said shafts, levers carried by the hinged head and foot sections and links connecting the gear levers to said section levers.

3. Operating means for an yadjustable bed having a central xedsection with side rails and hinged head and foot sections, each of said hinged'sections having a vdownwardly directed lever at the hinge axis, comprising a shelf member adapted to span and be secured to the side rails of the fixed section, spaced downturned lugs at each end of the shelf provided with bearings, spaced shafts extending lengthwise of the shelf supported in said bearings, said shafts having medially positioned Worms', means for rotating.

the shafts, a stub shaft fixed centrally of the shelf intermediate the shafts, two Worm gears `each formed with a sleeve hub, one of said gears having a sleeve of greater length than the other gear with its sleeve and journalled to seat on the stub shaft, the second gear With its sleeve journ'alled to seat on the sleeve of the rst gear, a lever formed With a hub to'seat on the short sleeve, a second lever formed with a hub to seat on the long sleeve beloW and in supporting relation` to the short sleeve and a stop collar formed to seat on the stub shaft, said stop collar and lever hubs having means for securing same on the shaft and gear sleeves respectively and the gears positioned to engagethe Worms of said shafts respectively with links connecting said gear levers with the levers connected -to the bed sections respectively.

RUDOLPH C. MILLER. 

